A number of prior art electronic devices for better mobility of people are available; these include wireless communications devices. One type of wireless communications device is a mobile telephone, such as a digital mobile telephone according to the GSM (Global System for Mobile Communications) standard, operating in a mobile communications system based on cellular network technology.
Electronic devices for storing various kinds of information are known to be available; these include devices such as notebook computers, miniature handheld computers and PDA devices (Personal Digital Assistant). These devices can be used for storing calendar information, notes, address information, phone numbers or other such information entered by the user. The information can be viewed on the display of the device. Information is usually entered into the devices by means of a keyboard, but devices equipped with a touch-sensitive display are also known to be available.
The features of wireless communications devices, such as mobile phones, are constantly increasing and usually comprise functions for storing the telephone numbers of people and companies, for example. Known devices include the Nokia® 8210, 7110 and 6110 mobile phones. Devices with a combination of two user interfaces are also known to be available; these may include, for example, the user interfaces of a mobile phone and a PDA device. One such known device is the Nokia® Communicator 9210. The first user interface, that is, the PDA user interface, can be used for storing various kinds of information in the device, establishing a wireless connection to the Internet and receiving fax messages, for example. The second user interface, that is, the CMT (Cellular Mobile Telephone) user interface can be used for traditional mobile phone functions such as receiving calls and dialing telephone numbers. The communicator described above comprises separate keypads and displays for the two user interfaces, so that the PDA user interface is arranged for use in the open position of the device and the CMT user interface is arranged for use in the closed position of the device.
The electronic devices in question usually include a display where the user can see the information entered on the keypad or keyboard and where the user can view other information such as received messages, instructions or other information. The technological development of electronics and batteries has made it possible to manufacture smaller and smaller devices with an ever-increasing number and variety of functions. This improvement in functionality makes the interaction between users and electronic devices more versatile, which has led to the availability of several menu options for accessing the various functions. Accordingly, electronic devices generally require a relatively large display and a number of keys for input. It is now common that users carry electronic devices with them most of the time. Increased mobility in general limits the dimensions of electronic devices to handheld size. The devices must also be of rugged construction, as they are carried around a lot.
In order to keep the size of the electronic device small, browsing menus have been created where the number of choices and/or information available at any particular time is small and the size of the keys on the keypad has been reduced.
In the context of wireless communications devices, a variety of control elements for controlling the functions of the devices are known. These control elements include, for example, one or more keys situated next to the display; in this case, the key press selects the control function indicated by the function command or associated symbol shown on the display near the key. The keypad usually includes keys for moving the cursor up and down on the display, and often includes keys for moving left and right. For this purpose, the keypad may include a single pivoting key or button for selecting the direction of the cursor.
The control element known from the patent publication EP 0 463 856 B1 is a rotating control roller or control ball placed in the front panel of a mobile phone for browsing the menu functions in a menu structure, for example. A cylindrical control roller rotating around its longitudinal axis, used for browsing the menu functions in a menu structure, can also be located with the hinge in a collapsible mobile phone, essentially parallel to the hinge and on the same axis as the hinge as illustrated in publication EP 0 715 441 A1. In this case, a separate control button may be located close to the control roller for selecting and activating a menu function chosen from the menu using the control roller. It is also known from publication U.S. Pat. No. 5,436,954 that a control roller located in the hinge may be moved at least a short distance in the direction of its longitudinal axis, so it can be used for moving a cursor shown on the display. A control lever, control pin or similar joystick-type device can also be adapted for a mobile phone to provide cursor control functions similar to a control ball.
A control element known from the context of mobile phones is a rotating disc-type control roller presented in patent publication EP 0 755 142 A2. The user can navigate a telephone book presented on the mobile phone display by rotating the roller and select the desired phone number by pressing the roller. The control roller can also be used for forming a string of alphanumeric characters for the telephone book, for example. In this case, rotating the control roller in its two different directions will change the character presented on the display either to the next or previous character in alphabetical order, and the character to be appended to the string can be selected by pressing the control roller. This is accomplished by means of control roller movement towards the device, activating a switch located in connection with the control roller. The case of the character can be changed by holding the control roller down.
As the size of the known devices presented above is decreasing, particularly in the case of wireless communications devices, the large number of control elements to be placed on the device and their placement poses a problem particularly from the viewpoint of ergonomics and ease of use. A particular problem is that as the number of functions in wireless communications devices and the variety of available choices is increasing, there is a need to add various kinds of control elements. As the size and weight of the devices is decreasing, the size of the control elements must also be reduced, which will further impair usability. The fact that the applications supported by the devices often require a larger and larger display poses an additional usability problem. It is contradictory that on the one hand, a large display and keypad are required for ease of use, and on the other hand, a portable electronic device must be as small and lightweight as possible.
As the number of different modes and functions of wireless communications devices is increasing, the use of various kinds of menu structures will also increase and the menu structures will become more complex. A particular problem present in prior art devices is navigation in the menu structure. The menu structure usually comprises menu functions associated with each other horizontally and vertically. The menu structure can be navigated in the horizontal direction by moving the cursor, for example by rotating a control roller. The menu function is selected by pressing a control button that may be located in connection with the control roller described above. This will activate another menu function on a higher level. Prior art solutions have also used cursor keys (up, down, left, right), as well as a pivoting navigation key that will activate a user interface control signal corresponding to navigation in the various directions when pressed at different points.
In addition to navigating the menu structures as described above, the user interface (UI) of an electronic device must provide the user with the possibility of entering normal alphanumeric information. For this purpose, known electronic devices, such as typical wireless communications devices, include a number keypad with the figures 0 to 9, the characters * and #, as well as a number of other keys required for operating the phone.
The object of the present invention is to provide an improvement to prior art and improve the usability of electronic devices. A particular aim of the invention is to diversify the possibilities of using control elements. In addition to this, the aim of the invention is to enable the user interface control elements and the keypad to be implemented in a smaller space, allowing the vacated space to be used for other parts of the user interface in the electronic device.